Founded in 2005, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild exists for discussions of and creative fanworks based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and related texts. We are a positive-focused and open-minded space that welcomes fans from all over the world and with all levels of experience with Tolkien's works. Whether you are picking up Tolkien's books for the first time or have been a fan for decades, we welcome you to join us!
New Challenge: Bollywood This month's challenge offers songs, films, and tropes from Bollywood, the world's largest film industry based out of India, as prompts for fanworks.
Cultus Dispatches: Fandom Chocolate … or Authors Love Comments Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data provides insight into how comments benefit authors and which authors are most impacted by a lack of comments, with a digression on authors' perspectives one-click feedback like kudos.
A Sense of History: Passing Ships As Tolkien's characters in various texts gaze out to the sea, what do they see? What is brought by the ships coming out of the West?
Beta-Reader List Now Available The beta-reader list and profiles have been moved into our new system and are available again.
Largely focused on Númenor, its fall, and the aftermath, as seen from the perspective of two Mannish scientists, bit players in some ways, but who nonetheless cast their shadows across the history of Middle Earth.
A story of three friends in Númenor, one of whom attracts the attention of the High Priest. What does friendship mean in the shadow of the Black Temple?
Nimruzimir, a natural philosopher recently out of his apprenticeship, hardly considers himself very important to anyone, least of all his colleagues. When his strange, prophetic fits bring him to the attention of the High Priest, however, he may find that his existence is less superfluous than…
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that authors view comments as driving their motivation to create fanfiction. However, perception of comments by authors is part of a larger shift in fandom around how and how often fans interact with each other.
The arrival and departure of ships across the Great Sea carries mythic significance for the peoples of Middle-earth. The image of ships crossing out of and back into a mysterious West appears as well in Beowulf and is alluded to in Tolkien's tower analogy in his lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," where the tower allows those who climb it to observe the passage of the ships.
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that while most authors self-identify as taking their craft seriously, a growing subset of authors may be pushing that norm.
He and Diamond were visiting, though Pippin had been disappearing every afternoon, and taking Frodo and Elanor and most other lads and lasses in the neighborhood with him—though why they couldn’t use Pippin’s own pony, Sam couldn’t imagine.
So gathered they were to Bree, what lieutenants who could be spared, from their scattered watches west and east, for their chieftain had returned from his long sojourn in lands godless and mountains strange.
Aragorn returns from the South to tells his tales. Halbarad listens.
July challenge at tolkienshortfanworks posted
The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for July has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. The thematic challenge is: original character or unnamed canon character; the formal challenge: fixed length of multiple of 50 words. New participants welcome.
Teitho June/July Challenge: Mentor
The June/July prompt for the Teitho challenge is "mentor" and invites fanworks about this relationship in Tolkien's works.
Scribbles & Drabbles 2024
A chill Tolkien event, where artists make art, and authors write little stories in response. Begins in June and ends in November.
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Comments
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.
I love this! It's such a wonderful little scene, and a great study of both characters and their relationship, and their hopes and dreams and fears. The foreshadowing for both is really well done--it really hurts to think of what's to come for both of them, especially in the face of Finwe's optimism!
Thank you! Foreshadowing with Silmfic is just too tempting for me to resist. I enjoyed thinking about the dynamic these two would have this early in their relationship. I love that Tolkien says they were friends.
Just popping another comment here to add that apart from the story and theme, their interaction and intimacy, which generate a depth of feeling and not a few thoughts, I so love all the little details that make it so alive, so visible and multidimensional.
Oh goodness, I'm so spoiled by your lovely comments. Have yet to reply to AO3 because you left so many thoughts, but thank you so much for coming over here to drop a note also <3
I really enjoyed reading about their close relationship and their thoughts about love and having children. A lot of foreboding in this fic, but neither of them really can see how it will go for them.
There is so much dramatic irony in their conversation, especially towards the end, but it doesn't take away from how movingly their friendship is described in the present moment.
Thanks so much! I am glad the relationship between them came through, as, despite my love of irony, that was intended as the main focus. I appreciate the comment!
Thanks so much! Unfortunately I can't help but read poor Finwe as a little naive. I fee like he would have made different choices if his foresight interpretation skills had been a little better... one would hope at least. And I like the contrast with Thingol, who is maybe a little too cynical about his foresight, contributing to the canonical suspicion and fear.
I love to imagine how the Elves have lived at Cuivinien and their tradition before the Valar came, this really sparked my imagination, expecially where you were talking about the homes on the bay. I loved that image!
Comments
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.